Apologies to all – this post is waaaay late.  We have a couple of good reasons, but mostly it’s because we have been completely neglecting our PVR due to the fact that we’ve been feverishly renovating the church where we rent our dance space.  We’ve been working overtime trying to get it done before we leave on vacation (now) so that meant it was during our “off ” hours (after teaching, after practice, after the show – basically in place of social life, sleeping, posting, and such.)   The hard work has been a success though – in one month we put in a new dance floor, painted the whole space, threw in a bit of decor, set up a  mini-office, and put some admin features in place.  All by our-covered-in-paint-head-to-toe-selves.  Yes, me (TL) too, and I even wore sweatpants.  Albeit with high heels… of course.  Baby steps, friends, baby steps….

(btw – pics and vid documenting the creation of “The Church of Dance” to follow – watch this space!)

Regardless, while we were busy being a Worst Handyman and Woman,  a new season of SYTYCD Canada started, so we have to take a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate!  Congrats on Season 3 to all involved!

This season has started off with a bang, and we believe it has some good, some bad, and some that is too early yet to comment on.  Nevertheless, below are our thoughts, but remember – they are just personal opinions!  If yours differ, that’s the beauty of being Canadian!  It’s perfectly ok to disagree!

The Good:

– Jean Marc is finally being…Jean Marc.  We have known and respected this unbelievably talented man for many, many years, and one of the best things about him is…him.  The “real-life Jean Marc” is incredibly funny, caring, and sincere, but in the most natural way.  The TV one seemed to be going through a bit of an adjustment period in Season 1 & 2, but it seems he has found his comfort zone.  Also, seeing his beautiful wife France on with him was delightful!  Loved it!  They are a true team in every way, so it was nice to enjoy them working as one on the show.

– The production value.  The editing, the sets, the camera work, lighting, directing…man, that franchise gets it right!  Just gorgeous.  Enough said.

– Love Mia.  Love Stacey.  Love Dan.  Love Blake.  They really seem “unafraid” to tell the truth and give critique, and we like that.  Even Luther has been a bit tougher this season – good to see.  Tre is just plain gorgeous.  What on earth does she use on her skin?  And can I order a vat of it?

– We only fast-forwarded Leah when she was visible.  We think her voice-overs are way better than they were in Season 1 and 2.  If she would stop flicking her head with every second syllable we could perhaps fast-forward even less.  (Maybe we should have put that in the “we’ll see” category.)

– “LazyLegz” .   You made our month.  We hope to meet you someday and give you a really long, good, snuggly hug.

– Looks like we’ll have some amazing and uber-talented dancers to enjoy this season!  Yay, Canada!

The Bad:

– Even though we think it’s “better”, the critique is still a bit too “nice” for us.   By all means, tell the dancers what they did right, but then tell them what they did wrong, or what they should work on for next time.  Yes, as we said, the talent is exceptional, but everyone can work to improve on something, so we wish the judges would say so more often. 

– “Made for TV” stuff.  Maybe it’s because we work in TV, but to us it’s so transparent when phrases are edited and we don’t see the real thing.  Trust us – TV – even “Reality” TV – isn’t real at times.  Yuck.  Maybe that’s why the judges’ comments come out too reserved?  Maybe they said “more” but we just don’t get to see it as viewers?  But this leads us to……

The “We’ll See”:

– It’s too early to comment on the dancers themselves, as it takes a few weeks for them to find their groove and really let loose.  Dancing in front of millions must be the most daunting thing imaginable, so we think it’s only fair not to comment on specific performances until they’ve had a bit of time to relax and just enjoy their time in the limelight!  Enjoy and good luck to all competitors!  Great job so far! 

Please, Canada – support this show!  Help celebrate the Arts in Canada!!!

….and that’s today’s TLC.

ps – what are your thoughts of SYTYCD Canada Season 3 so far?